Fire street to stay shut

PART of Oxford Road will stay shut until the end of the week as workers ensure the gutted site of Friday's big fire is safe.

Wokingham building firm Zenith, which was converting offices in the former McIlroy's department store into plush apartments, is working with the Health and Safety Executive after a blaze ripped through the building opposite Broad Street Mall.

Linen store Rosebys and clothing retailer Ethel Austen were gutted by the blaze, which was attended by 12 fire crews.

Oxford Road, between Cheapside and West Street, is not expected to reopen until Friday at the earliest.

Reading Buses are being diverted, and because of the closure of Chatham Street for demolition work, buses from Oxford Road heading into the town centre will go into Russell Street and Tilehurst Road and down into Castle Street.

Buses going out of the centre will travel from St Mary's Butts into West Street, left into Friar Street and u-turn around the Chatham Street roundabout to Cheapside, where they will rejoin Oxford Road.

This morning Kevin Eighteen, the managing director of Zenith, was on site but unavailable to comment on the cause of the blaze.

Reading's city centre manager Tim Smith said he had no idea how much repairs will cost.

He said: "The old building being converted into apartments is all part of the regeneration of Reading and this will delay the regeneration of that building.

"It was a very exciting project to take what was an old retail unit and turn it into very attractive city centre apartments. Any delay to that will be disappointing."

Mr Smith, who watched the fire rip through the old building, said: "This project was also preserving part of Reading's heritage which is so important, especially with a booming town. As all the change comes about we don't want to lose Reading's character, history and heritage."

Today Rosebys said the eight staff employed at its Oxford Road store would be redeployed to other outlets.

Workers in Ethel Austin told how water leaked from the shop ceiling moments before they were

evacuated by firefighters. They say they had to put out buckets because so much water was pouring down but they had no idea why.

Sam Kozlowski, who works in the shop on Saturdays, said the staff have been offered a transfer to another store in Maidenhead.